Wreckers clicked from the start, but solo projects are next

Tuesday

Jul 24, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 24, 2007 at 2:15 AM

Singers Jessica Harp and Michelle Branch clicked from the moment they met, their voices combining into the seamless harmonies that pushed their 2006 single “Leave the Pieces” to a Grammy nomination and the top spot on the U.S. country music charts. But Harp says solo albums are actually next on the agenda for the two members of the country-pop duo The Wreckers.

By Erik Gable and David Frownfelder

Singers Jessica Harp and Michelle Branch clicked from the moment they met, their voices combining into the seamless harmonies that pushed their 2006 single “Leave the Pieces” to a Grammy nomination and the top spot on the U.S. country music charts.

But Harp says solo albums are actually next on the agenda for the two members of the country-pop duo The Wreckers.

Harp and Branch are touring with Keith Urban through December, but after that, they’ll be taking some time to work on their own projects, Harp said during a recent telephone interview.

The duo became friends when Harp was 18 and Branch was 17.

“We met when we were teenagers trying to get record deals,” said Harp, now 25, “and we had mutual fans that felt we both sounded alike.”

Both had recorded albums before joining forces — Harp’s “Preface” came out in 2002, while Branch released “Broken Bracelet” in 2000, “The Spirit Room” in 2001 and “Hotel Paper” in 2003 — but Harp said they enjoy performing as a pair.

For one thing, she said, “it’s a person to share the load.”

“It makes it less like a job,” she said.

Harp said the two felt a kinship because they didn’t really know other girls their age who shared their passion for music.

“I’ve been singing and performing my entire life,” Harp said, adding that when she was a little girl, she could sing better than she could talk. In Branch, she found a kindred spirit.

“We clicked completely naturally from the very beginning, which I think is why we decided to take it to the next step and make a record together,” Harp said.

As for how their collaboration works when it comes to division of labor, Harp said, there’s “not really a set formula.”

“Our record is really mixed,” she said. “It’s some of my songs, some of her songs, some of our songs.”

The Wreckers are headlining their own shows in between stops on Urban’s “Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy World” tour, giving them a chance to shine on their own.

Touring with Urban is “awesome for us,” Harp said, “but at the same time, we only get to play about seven songs.”

When she’s not on tour, Harp, a Kansas City, Mo., native, lives in Nashville, Tenn. Branch, who grew up in Sedona, Ariz., splits her time between Nashville and Los Angeles.

Branch is married to bass player Teddy Landau, who plays in The Wreckers’ tour band, and has a daughter named Owen who will turn 2 in August.

Despite the success of the pair’s first disc together, titled “Stand Still, Look Pretty,” Harp said it’s too early to say whether more Wreckers albums are in store. Their next step will be to work on individual projects, she said, but after that, they’ll be flying by the seat of their pants.

“This whole project just sort of happened on a whim,” she added.

But Harp does know what she’ll be doing when the current tour is finished. She’s already written some of the songs for her next album.

“As soon as I possibly can, I’ll be getting into the studio,” she said.